Phenyldimethylsilyllithium reacted with 5,5-dimethyl-3-(N,N-dimethylamino)cyclohex-2-enone (7), 3-(E)-N,N-dimethylaminopropenal (11), and 4-N,N-dimethylaminobut-3-en-2-one (13) to give the corresponding β-silyl-α,β-unsaturated carbonyl compounds 8, 12, and 14, in which the dimethylamino group has been displaced by the phenyldimethylsilyl group. Phenyldimethylsilyllithium reacted with ethyl β-N,N-dimethylaminopropenoate (15) by conjugate addition, but, in contrast to the ketones 7 and 13 and the aldehyde 11, the intermediate enolate 16 was C-protonated in the aqueous work-up to give ethyl 3-N,N-dimethylamino-3-dimethyl(phenyl)silylpropanoate (17). When the enolate 16 was instead given a mysteriously brief treatment with methyl iodide before work-up, the product was ethyl 3-(E)-dimethy(phenyl)silylpropenoate (18). Phenyllithium and methyllithium also added conjugatively to ethyl β-N,N-dimethylaminoacrylate (15) but, in contrast to the silyl case, the intermediate enolate 22 reacted unexceptionally with methyl iodide to give the products 25 and 26 of stereoselective C-methylation. This synthesis of the ester 18 was used to synthesize the Oppolzer sultam derivative 30.Key words: conjugate addition, elimination, substitution, silyllithium, silylenone.
